The Moron, The Creep, and the Failure
by ThatOneGuyWhoIsANinja
Summary: Say Naruto was put in a team with Shino and Hinata? What would happen? Only pairings so far decided are NaruxHina. Quite a bit of Sakura-bashing to start with, but don't worry, I won't hate her for ever!
1. The Beginning!

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Naruto universe... which is a shame~

My first long Naruto story, so be nice, and tell me what ya' think, and if I should continue!

* * *

"Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba and Uchiha will form Team 7, under Hatake Kakashi." read Iruka, reading from the list in his hand.

And at these words, as quickly as it had built up, Naruto's hope crumbled.

Sakura had quite literally cheered when her team had been read out, and was now looking over at the Uchiha with gooey eyes, squealing and smirking as she noticed her friend Ino's look of total disappointment.

Sasuke, however, looked quite bored with the situation. His eyes rested on the window to his left, his hands pressed to his mouth, fingers interlaced. Apparently this was a look that could send his fan-girls to the hospital in pubescent fits of adoration.

Kiba was glaring at Sasuke, his partner/best friend/nin-dog Akamaru resting on top of his wild hair, yapping happily. He then turned to look at Sakura, and his eyes narrowed in disgust, a feral snarl growing onto his face

Naruto sigh, miserably. Why couldn't he be on a team with Sakura? Why did she have to be with that miserable prick?

* * *

"Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto will form Team 8, under Kurenai" continued Iruka, taking a quick glance at the blonde haired boy, feeling almost guilty.

Naruto turned around to look over his new team mates, feeling less than optimistic.

Hinata was the young heiress to the Hyuuga clan sitting a few seats away to his left with short blue hair, her bangs over her deep red face. She wore hear headband around her neck. Naruto noticed that her pale, pupil-less eyes would flicker over to himself every few seconds, which seemed to prompt her face to deepen in colour.

"Uh, Iruka-sensei, I think you might want to send Hinata to the hospital... that fever looks pretty serious." he said concernedly, pointing over at the young Hyuuga.

The girls' eyes widened considerably, her face turning even darker than Naruto thought possible, as Iruka chuckled lightly.

"Don't worry about her Naruto, I'm sure she'll be fine once she's awa- I mean, when she's outside." Iruka said softly, nodding at the boy before continuing.

Naruto shrugged dismissively, and turned to observe Shino, who sat at the back.

Shino wore a large coat, the rim covering a majority of his face, while his round sunglasses covering his eyes. He wore his headband on his forehead, like Naruto, just below his spiky dark brown hair. Something about Shino just creeped Naruto out. Perhaps it was the way most of his face was covered by his coat, or the sunglasses that made it impossible for one to tell where he was looking. Or perhaps it was the way his face remained completely blank.

Or the way that his coat occasionally wiggled by itself, as if it were alive.

Naruto wasn't sure, but he tried not to be too judgemental. After all, he had spent the whole of his life being feared, detested and shunned by all those who knew him, for a reason that he had only recently discovered.

* * *

After a run in with one of his past teachers, in which Naruto had been tricked into stealing a sacred forbidden jutsu scroll, (which, naturally, he had mastered himself) and giving it to the man, he had been told that the Forth Hokage had sealed the Kyubi, one of the tailed beasts, that had attacked the village years ago, inside of him.

For that reason, he had been hated by the entire village, as people had seen him as the remnants of the demon that had caused so much death and destruction. Families had been torn apart, children growing up as orphans, including Iruka, and people blamed him.

Naruto still wasn't sure how he felt about this.

Sadness, that he had spent his like in torment for something that was not his fault?

Anger, at the people who had treated him so cruelly, despite the fact he was keeping them safe from the demon that was sealed within him?

Pride, that he was, though completely unappreciated, a hero of the village and the jail-keeper of the beast that had caused so much hurt?

Naruto shook his head sadly, finally returning from his thoughts, when he noticed something.

He had been staring at the Aburame kid the whole time.

And it seemed that Shino was staring right back at him, though he couldn't quite tell.

* * *

Naruto spun around so fast that his neck hurt, feeling completely embarrassed. He really hoped that Shino hadn't seen him staring at him for so long.

Unfortunately, Shino HAD noticed Naruto staring at him, and though the Aburame clan was known for their total lack of emotion that rivalled the Hyuuga, the boys' eyes were widened slightly in discomfort. Not that one could tell.

'Did I have something on my face?' Shino wondered bemusedly.


	2. Sakura, Spandex, and a lot of Slander!

Yo, this is the second part... if I made any mistakes, or if ya' like it, please review! Flames are accepted, but... y'know, I don't like 'em.

**READ THE DISHCLAIMEH: **I don't own Naruto. If I did, Hinata would be in Naruto's arms right now, and Tobi would be back to Tobi. I miss him so much. Q.Q

* * *

After Iruka had called out the last team (Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi), he looked around the room for a few moments, observing each students reaction to their teams, with great interest in some cases.

It seemed that Sakura was now taunting Naruto over the fact that he had not been chosen to be in a team with her, much to Naruto's (albeit barely shown) dismay.

"Naruto, I don't see why you're so upset to not be on our team. All you would do is drag Sasuke and I down, right Sasuke?" she simpered, her cold eyes turning sickeningly wobbly as she glanced over at the Uchiha boy. Sasuke merely grunted in reply. Some students smirked in agreement, while a few of the people who were more kind to Naruto, namely Kiba, Shikamaru, Hinata and Choji, growled in annoyance, though none sprang to his defence. Shino narrowed his eyes.

"I mean, it's not like you're useful at all! You've had the lowest scores on all the tests, your basic ninja techniques aren't up to scratch, and you're chakra control is _awful_!" she continued, glaring at the blonde ninja, which made Kiba growl and bare his teeth a little. "What kind of ninja can't even produce a single clone?"

But before he could answer, the door burst open, and a green blur sped into the room. Everyone in the room, except for Shino and Sasuke, let out a gasp as the green figure landed on Iruka's desk, and flashed a blinding smile at Sakura, his thumb stuck up in an incredibly cheesy pose.

"That would be me, Rock Lee!" the boy proclaimed, his boisterous voice ringing in the younger ninja's ears.

* * *

Now that he was standing still, Naruto was able to get a good look at the odd fellow in front of him. He must've been one or two years older than them, and wearing a green spandex suit, as well as orange leg-warmers and his fore-head protector wrapped around his waist as a belt. His black, shiny hair was cut into a bowl, and his eyes were completely round.

But the most horrifying aspect of his appearance was his enormous eyebrows. Naruto had never seen anything like them before, and he was repulsed, yet impressed at their sheer size. They were huge, thick and black, and he wriggled them as he grinned.

Despite Sakura's confusion, she managed to quickly retain her anger.

"What do you mean? You can't make a clone either?" She asked, sneering, her arms crossed.

"Well, actually, I can't do ANY ninjutsu!" he stated, his bright smile widening even further. However, Sakura, nor anyone else for that matter, returned it. Instead, they just stared at him, shocked.

The totally oblivious Lee decided to interpret this as a awe-inspired silence, so he jumped from the desk, and strode over to Naruto.

"I've heard about you, Naruto-san..." he said, a slightly pained look falling over his bright smile. Only Naruto was able to detect this look, though, as he was certainly use to fake smiles. And he was a little shocked by it.

"... a true man of hard-work, determination, and perseverance!" he added, his teeth twinkling brightly as he smiled. Naruto was a little confused at this, but proud nonetheless.

"You know it! I'm gonna be the Hokage someday!" the orange ninja proclaimed, prodding his chest with a thumb. Several people in the class groaned, including Sakura. Hinata, however, blushed, and smiled affectionately, while Shino felt an odd jolt in his stomach.

"YOSH! And on that day, I will serve you gladly as a truly splendid ninja!" Lee exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "You, know, I like you, Naruto-kun, let us be friends!"

Naruto's eyes went almost as wide as the spandex-clad ninja's. He wasn't sure what to be more shocked about: that somebody had accepted his dream to be Hokage, or that somebody had just asked to be his _friend_. He felt as if he'd just been given a million coupons to Ichiraku.

"Definitely, Bushy-Brow!" the hyperactive ninja replied joyously, sticking his hand out in front of him, a massive grin upon his own whiskered face.

"YOSH! I am glad to have made such a youthful new comrade! Gai-sensei would be proud!" Lee shouted, and grasped Naruto's hand, shaking it firmly. He then got up, and strode to the front of the class-room, wiping tears of sheer joy from his eyes.

"I am most sorry to have interrupted your class, Iruka-sensei... It's just that I heard that young lady over there talking about a subject that relates to myself." he said apologetically, turning to the jonin-sensei in to his right, who had been smiling through the whole affair.

"Oh please, don't be. Anyone who offers to be friends with knuckle-head over there so willingly is okay in my books." Iruka replied quietly, patting the bowl-haired boy on the shoulder.

"What do you mean 'willingly'?" Lee asked, feeling a little confused. However, Sakura interrupted again, looking as if she might actually explode.

"Hey, _freak_, you never answered me!" she exclaimed, pointing at him rudely, which Lee seemed a little annoyed by. "What do you mean you can't make a clone? You can't do any ninjutsu at ALL? That's worse than Naruto! What kind of ninja ARE you?"  
Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji and even Naruto were all angered by such an outrageous statement. Kiba was physically shaking with fury. His mouth turned into a vicious snarl as he opened his mouth to reply.

"Well, certainly not some stuck-up, obsessive, fan-girl _bitch _who walks around berating her own friends!"

Kiba's mouth snapped shut, and his eyes widened as he realized who had shouted before he could himself retort.  
The whole class was now staring at Hinata, who was on her feet, glaring at the pink-haired kunoichi.

"H-Hinata?" Sakura said, staring at her in shock, confusion and anger.

* * *

Hinata continued to glare at her, until she realised that the whole class, including Iruka and Lee, were staring at her. But Iruka wasn't angry... he was looking at her with an almost satisfied smile. Lee looked as though he might burst into tears for such a youthful show of support.

But as Hinata's eyes swept the room, observing the amused, shocked and amazed expressions, she turned bright red as she found Naruto, who was also staring at her.

His eyes were shining with tears, and his mouth was pulled into an affectionate smile.

Hinata suddenly felt a little faint, so she slumped back into her chair, refusing to look at anyone as she blushed profusely from the attention of her crush.

"Ahem... well, yes, thank you, Hinata." Iruka said, failing to keep the pride out of his voice. Sakura slid back into her chair, grinding her teeth as she mumbled angrily.

Lee bowed respectfully to Iruka and exited the room after one more thumbs-up to Naruto, and this time to Hinata as well. The rest of the class quietly chattered among themselves.

Sasuke, who had been watching with interest and amusement, went back to his vengeful thoughts. Kiba simmered down a little, and grinned in amusement at Hinata's betrayal of her usually calm attitude. Shikamaru, Choji and Ino were chatting animatedly, Ino's eyes occasionally looking over at Hinata or Sakura, a little smirk flitting across her face. Shino continued to observe quietly from the back.

However, Naruto was still staring at her in amazement.

* * *

'That was amazing! The way that she stuck for Bushy-Brow like that...' he thought admiringly. He continued to look at her for a while, a goofy grin plastered on his face. Hinata's eyes glanced over at him for a moment, and she turned a deep shade of red when she saw him.

"Well, now that we're all settled ..." Iruka said to the class, shaking his head. "It's time for you to meet your new Sensei!"

Every head in the classroom, including Hinata and Naruto's, quickly spun round in interest.


	3. A Brief Meeting with a New Sensei!

I realize that this chapter SUCKS, but I promise, the next chapter's gonna be much more worth reading! But, anyway, please review, I love 'dem feedbacks. ^_^

**DISHCLAIMEH: I don't own Naruto, k?**

* * *

"And finally, Uzumaki Naruto, Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata... Yūhi Kurenai wishes to meet you at Training Ground 8, okay?" Iruka finished, looking up from the paper to address the three. Shino and Hinata nodded, while Naruto grunted affirmatively.

"Okay then, as of now, you are all official genin, and have each been assigned to your teams. I'm very proud to have been your sensei, and I wish you luck in the future!" the scar-nosed sensei proclaimed happily, smiling widely at his class. A chorus of "Arigatō, Iruka-sensei!" rang throughout the classroom, and the new ninja all got up to leave with their teams. Naruto looked over at his new team-mates and grinned. He got a shy smile from Hinata and a slight nod from Shino in return.

* * *

"Naruto! Can I have a word with you quickly, please?" Iruka called, as the blonde-haired ninja was just about to leave, stopping him in his tracks, and causing him to grumble softly. Undoubtedly he was going to be lectured by his former teacher one last time...

"We will wait for you." said Shino quietly as he passed, Hinata nodding in agreement. Naruto smiled appreciatively, and turned to face Iruka as the door slammed shut.

"What did I do wrong this ti-" began Naruto, but was cut off as Iruka pulled him into a hug, a hand patting his back comfortingly.

"Uzumaki Naruto... I'm so proud of you." he said, an even wider grin replacing his previously softer smile. As the genin was released from his teacher, he wiped his eyes with the back of his orange sleeve, and looked up at his sensei, his eyes moist. Iruka chuckled and swiped at his nose.

"T-thanks, sensei..." Naruto said thickly, stuttering momentarily as he tried to contain the emotion that threatened to burst forth. 'Is this what it's like to be praised by a parent?' he wondered, biting his bottom lip.

Iruka studied him for a moment, smiling affectionately. "Well, Naruto, I don't want to keep your new sensei waiting... but promise me, you'll let me buy you Ramen tonight, and in return you'll tell me how it all went?" he offered, clapping his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

All hints of the orange-clad ninja's sentimentality quickly disappeared, and his face lit up. "Hell yeah, Iruka-sensei! Thanks a bunch, I'll see you tonight!" he exclaimed, and waved before racing out of the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Iruka shook his head, chuckling. He sure was gonna miss that knuckle-head.

* * *

"Ah, you have arrived, Naruto-kun." Shino said softly, as the boy in question approached them. Naruto grinned, and put his hands behind his head. "Sorry, Iruka-sensei had something he wanted to talk about." he replied. He looked around, taking in the sights of the training grounds, as the gentle breeze ruffled his blonde, spiky hair. Broken and bent kunai littered the grassy floor around various training dummy's, which looked as if they'd taken a fair beating over the years. Small, wispy clouds littered the deep blue sky... no doubt Shikamaru was watching them somewhere.

His blue eyes finally rested on the Leaf Ninja Academy in the distance, and he smiled fondly, reminiscing in his mind as though he had graduated years ago.

"There is no problem, Naruto-kun, it is just good that you are here now. Perhaps now our new sensei will reveal herself..." the Aburame kid prompted, adjusting his sunglasses.

"How did you know I was here?" came a soft, slightly amused voice. Naruto quickly spun round to look at Hinata, who was sitting on a large, grey stone. Except that, now, an older woman was standing beside her, a hand on the heiress' shoulder.

* * *

She was fairly tall and light-skinned woman of slender build. She had long, black, shoulder-length untamed hair, and very unique eyes that were red in colour, with an additional ring in them. She wore make-up consisting of red lipstick and purple eye shadow. Her outfit consisted of a red mesh armour blouse with only the right sleeve visible. Over this she wore a very broad material which resembled bandages with a pattern on it similar to those of rose thorns. Her hands and upper thighs were also wrapped in bandages and she wore the Konoha forehead protector and regular shinobi sandals.

While Naruto almost fell backwards in surprise, Shino kept his calm, collected composure, and Hinata simply twiddled her fingers together nervously.

"Hinata-san was able to sense you a while ago, I believe... and my kikaichū were able to sense your chakra, meaning that I was alert to your presence as well." Shino explained. Hinata mumbled a soft "Yes...", while Kurenai nodded slightly, impressed. She walked around the rock Hinata was sitting on, and stood before all three genin, smiling down at them.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's start with introductions, shall we? My name is Yūhi Kurenai. I will be your new sensei! My favourite foods are takowasa, vodka and shochu. My least favourite food is cake. I enjoy evening drinks, and I dislike those who undermine others." Kurenai stated pleasantly. "Now, tell us a little about yourself." she said, gesturing to the bug-boy with her hand.

"My name is Aburame Shino. My interests are studying my clans techniques, and entomology... the study of insects." he explained to Naruto, noticing his confused expression. "I dislike people who do not realise that all life, no matter how small, is important. My favourite foods are wild grass salad and winter melon. I dislike tofu balls, and strong smelling foods." he finished, and turned to Hinata expectantly.

Hinata was a little startled at being addressed so suddenly, but nevertheless quickly introduced herself. "My n-name is Hyuuga Hinata. I l-like..." her voice trailed off as she quickly glanced at Naruto and blushed, though he seemed not to notice. Shino and Kurenai did, however, but did not press her on it. "... and I dislike p-people who berate others for lack of ability. My favourite foods are zenzai and cinnamon rolls, and I don't like crabs or shrimp." she mumbled, falling silent immediately after she finished.

Kurenai nodded, and smiled softly. "And you, blondie?" she said, looking at Naruto.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like Ramen and learning new jutsu, and I dislike people who look down on others, and a certain duck-butt head! My favourite foods are Ichiraku Ramen, and Red bean soup! I hate fresh vegetables!" he made a face to indicate his disgust, which made Hinata giggle a little. "And I'm gonna be the Hokage someday!" he finished proudly, grinning widely.

Kurenai nodded thoughtfully. "Well, good luck with that, Naruto. You'll need a lot of training before you can rise to the ranks of the Hokage, though... do you think you can do it?" she challenged, returning his grin. Naruto's grin turned into a determined smile that caused Hinata to blush deeply, and Shino to raise an eyebrow.

"You bet I do! I'll do anything to achieve my dream, and finally people will quit thinking I'm worthless!" he proclaimed, giving his new teacher a thumbs up. She, in turn, chuckled lightly.

"That's what I like to hear! Now, I'd say that today was good enough for just meeting each other, so you may spend the rest of it as you please. However, please meet me here, at 7 AM sharp tomorrow, okay?" finished Kurenai, and disappeared in a puff of smoke without another word. The three new genin looked at each other for a few moments.

* * *

"Hey, you guys, we could, y'know, go and get lunch!" offered Naruto, almost drooling at the thought of the Ichiraku Ramen waiting for him.

"I-I'd love t-to, Naruto-kun!" squealed Hinata, pouncing on the opportunity to be closer to her crush. Naruto looked at her and smiled appreciatively. Shino, however, walked over to Naruto silently, and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Another time, perhaps, I have clan business to attend to elsewhere." said Shino, actually sounding a little regretful. Naruto nodded and shrugged, placing his hands behind his head and grinning.

"Another time? I'll hold ya' to that!" exclaimed the blonde ninja, who then turned away, and began to walk slowly off across the field to Ichiraku's. Hinata squeaked, and bowed quickly to Shino as she quickly followed after Naruto.

Neither had seemed to notice the kikaichū beetle the Aburame had planted on Naruto's shoulder.

"For the purpose of understanding my new team-mates a little more..." the bug-user reassured himself, unsure whether spying on people using insects was considered 'creepy'.


	4. A Jinchuriki's Torment

Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Here is the next chapter, and, as I promised, it's a little more exciting.

**READ THE DISHCLAIMEH: Yaddy-yaddy-yada, I don't own Naruto, k?**

* * *

Naruto and Hinata made their way slowly to Ichiraku in silence. It seemed that Naruto was too busy thinking about Ramen, and listening to his stomach growl irritably, while Hinata was simply too shy to say anything.

However, the young Hyuuga did lag slightly behind, so she could watch her new team-mate. Every time his stomach rumbled he would pout, and quietly tell it to shut up, which made Hinata giggle. Fortunately, her giggles were drowned out by Naruto's cries for food, and they continued to walk through the Konohagakure without so much as a glance to each other.

Uzumaki was the first to break the silence, as he suddenly stopped, and turned to face Hinata; much to her surprise. She quickly stopped, remaining a few feet away from him. She tried not to look into the cerulean blue eyes, which observed her blushing face for a few seconds.

"Say, Hinata-chan, what do you think of the team?" he asked curiously. Much to her embarrassment, he continued to watch her carefully, causing her to flush a deeper red.

"A-ano, I r-really like it, Naruto-kun." she replied briefly, twiddling her fingers nervously. She opened her mouth again, to elaborate, but found that no more words would come. The blonde haired boy nodded slowly, and carefully looked her face over, trying to determine whether or not she was being truthful.

After a few moments, Naruto realized she wasn't going to continue. "Well, I'm not too sure about it, yet..." he began, but started when he saw the sudden look of disappointment on the Hyuuga girls face. "Ah, don't get me wrong! I like you, Hinata, but I'm just not too sure of Shino-san or Kurenai-sensei!" he continued quickly, grinning sheepishly. He then went on to describe his thoughts on his other team-mate and sensei, but Hinata didn't hear another word.

'Naruto... just said he liked me...' she thought, her head feeling fuzzy.

'Naruto just said he liked me.' came her mind's voice again, louder and clearer this time, though the light-headedness intensified.

"... I mean, I'm sure Shino's great, I just don't think... woah, hey, Hinata-chan, are you ok? You're lookin' a little red again!" Naruto exclaimed anxiously, as he noticed how red the heiress' face had become. Her eyes were stretched wide, and her body had gone rigid, her arms straight by her sides. Uzumaki quickly closed the gap between them, and waved his hand in her face. No reaction.

'NARUTO SAID HE LIKES ME!'

"Hinata-chan, are you okay? You need a doctor or something?" he asked, poking her arm nervously, but Hinata remained still.

'NARUTO, MY NARU-KUN, SAID HE LIKES ME- hey, what is that?'

Hinata came back from her mental screaming when she suddenly felt something cool and soft on her forehead. She blinked, and looked up... to see Naruto's hand resting against her forehead, with her crush's face barely inches away from her own.

"Wow, Hinata-chan, you really are hot..." commented the Jinchuriki, oblivious to how his comment could be taken. Hinata, however, was not so oblivious, and she let out a small squeak and keeled over, flopping onto the dusty road.

Naruto, being the calm and collected individual he was, took a moment to consider this disturbing turn of events.

"Holy shit! I killed Hinata!" he bellowed, bending down to lift Hinata's head from the dirt. He proceeded to shake her violently, watching her hair flop over her deeply blushing, vacant, face. He began to panic.

"I gotta get her to a hospital! Shit!" he cried desperately to no-one in particular, and scooped Hinata up bridal-style, and sprinted off... in the opposite direction to the hospital.

Naruto quickly realised that he didn't know WHERE the hospital was.

He began to curse harshly under his breath, using words that might even make a certain Jashinist blush. He looked down at Hinata's unconscious face, and felt his own cheeks burn a little.

'She's kinda cute when she blushes like that...' he thought to himself, chuckling lightly. However, he mentally scolded himself, realizing this was neither the appropriate time nor place to have such thoughts.

* * *

After about fifteen minutes of running around the village in circles, attempting to find someone that might point him in the right direction, he was almost on the verge of pulling his hair out in panic. Hinata still lay unconscious in his arms, and people simply leered or told him to shove off when he asked them about the hospitals location. He was really starting to feel how ignorant and stupid the villagers could be when it came to him.

Naruto skidded to a halt in front of a small, wooden bench, in the middle of a quiet area which he recognized to be just south of the Ninja Academy. He lay Hinata down on the bench, and leaned over her, gently shaking her shoulders.

"Come on, Hinata, wakey wakey...!" the Jinchuriki sang, his voice starting to crack in desperation. It seemed to have no effect, however, and Hinata simply continued to lay there, completely still except for the rise and fall of her chest with every breath.

Naruto shook his head, and flopped onto the bench next to her. He put his head in his hands, trying to ignore the discomfort the bench was causing his rear and his legs. Though he was a ninja, Hinata was roughly the same size and weight of him, and he was starting to feel a little worn-out.

However, he wasn't called a stamina freak for nothing, and he was quickly back on his feet, Hinata now slung over his shoulder. He tried to ignore the fact that the Hyuuga's butt was pressed against his cheek, which made him feel extremely embarrassed, and thought about what to do. He turned slightly, and looked at the Ninja academy roughly a kilo-metre away from him.

He was just thinking that he should maybe take Hinata to see Iruka (he always knew what to do), when he heard a loud, screeching voice to his right, only a few metres away.

"Kiba-san, keep that MUTT away from Sasuke-kun!" the voice yelped.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto quickly recognized her high-pitched, angry tones, and excitedly ran towards the source of the voice, apparently forgetting the events earlier that morning.

* * *

Sakura was wagging her finger in Kiba's annoyed face, as Akamaru tried to jump up at Sasuke's face. The young Uchiha was unsuccessfully trying to push the dog away, and Sakura was telling Kiba off for not controlling his partner.

"I told you, Akamaru thinks that Sasuke-san's hair looks like the ass of a duck, and he's really freakin' hungry!" explained an impatient Kiba, but Sakura continued to screech at him.

"Don't say that about my Sasuke-kun! His hair is awesome!" complained the pink-haired Kunoichi loudly, glancing towards her crush, hoping he would suddenly declare his love for her and marry her. Kiba simply rolled his eyes, but refused to call Akamaru off. Secretly, he was enjoying the show.

Sasuke, however, showed only increasing irritation as the little pup attempted to scamper up his leg, making longing whines as he drooled over the Uchiha's shoes. "Jeez, why'd I have to be stuck in a team of morons?" he muttered to himself quietly, but Sakura heard him, and squealed. It was at this point that the young Uzumaki reached the trees by the edge of the training ground, but stopped as he started to laugh at the sight of his enemy in such distress.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, don't say that! At least we're not stuck with the baka, Naruto!" she simpered, her expression becoming cold as she said Naruto's name.

The blonde-haired ninja felt a stab of sadness as his long-time friend and crush regarded him in such a cruel way, but he continued to listen in, unnoticed.

"Hey, Naruto isn't that bad! I mean, sure, he's kinda dumb, and he can be a jerk sometimes, but he's kinda funny, too!" came Kiba's angry retort, and Akamaru barked in agreement, wagging his tail.

"Shut up, dog boy! You know why I think Naruto's such a baka, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her voice dripping with sycophancy, but her cold expression remained.

"Hn," came Sasuke's deeply interested reply, as he straightened his shorts out, wiping the drool from his knees. Kiba said nothing, but listened with a slight snarl on his face, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Naruto, who was just as interested as he was miserable to hear his faults, remained silent and unseen. Offhandedly, it was impressive how even Akamaru, with such a sensitive nose, was able to pick up his scent.

"It's because he has no parents! No-one to teach him right from wrong! He's selfish and bratty, and he's all alone." proclaimed Sakura, her arms crossed, a hateful sneer across her face.

Kiba was actually knocked speechless, though he could still feel the anger burn within his stomach. 'How could somebody actually be this stupid!?' he though furiously, his hands curling into fists, yet he was still too shocked to say anything.

Sasuke, though not visibly, had been stung by this comment. His mind was racing with thoughts of the crushing loneliness he had endured throughout his life, the nights he had spent on his own in the huge Uchiha complex, crying. He thought of his mother, his father, his other clan members, and last of all, he thought of his brother. The one man who had caused him such grief, and his own anger grew.

"Sakura..." he growled, barely managing to keep his voice level.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" she replied sweetly, starting to smile at him, but stopped as she saw the malice in his deep, onyx eyes.

"**What do you know about being alone?**"

* * *

All four team members whipped their heads around in surprise, and saw Naruto standing a few metres away, his fists clenched tightly, his mouth twisted into a vicious snarl. His bangs cast a shadow over his eyes, but Sasuke could feel them glaring at Sakura.

"Oh, it's just you, baka." snorted Sakura, her previously surprised expression quickly replaced with another hateful sneer. Kiba was tempted to hit her to shut her up, but was cut off as Naruto spoke again.

"**I said, what do ****_YOU_**** know about being alone!?**" repeated the blonde ninja.

Sakura and Kiba flinched as they heard his voice louder this time, and noticed that it had changed.

His usual light-hearted, jolly voice had been twisted into a deep, rumbling and hateful growling tone. Sasuke could actually feel the rage in Naruto's voice... and it scared him a little.

Naruto's head lifted, and Sakura had to stifle a scream as she saw his face. The usually light blue eyes were now a deep blood-red, with a thin black slit in the middle of each. They were practically screaming with fury and evil as they glared hatefully at the pinkette. His teeth had grown longer, and pointed, and the whisker marks on his cheeks were now deep, bloody slashes.

'What the hell happened to the dobe?' Sasuke thought fearfully.

Sakura said nothing , merely standing rigid, trembling. Naruto raised his arm to point at her, and she saw that his fingers were now tipped with wicked-sharp claws.

"**You have ****_NO_**** idea what it's like to lose something so precious! But... I think I can change that!**" snarled Naruto evilly, and took a single, menacing step towards her. Akamaru began to whine fearfully, as a bubbling red chakra began to ooze from Naruto's skin. It twisted and churned around his form, and everyone felt the demonic power emanating from the young ninja.

Sasuke and Kiba gasped, and Sakura screeched, as the Jinchuriki suddenly disappeared in a flash of red chakra, and re-appeared beside the young kunoichi. She flinched as a clawed hand slapped forcefully to her shoulder, while the other dug it's fingers into her forearm, causing blood to leak from her wrists.

"**Let's start with your arm!**" proclaimed Naruto triumphantly, and gave a hard yank on Sakura's shoulder, causing her to scream in pain. Blood spurted over the blonde ninja's grinning face as he tore her arm clean off.

* * *

"Holy shit! Naruto tore her fucking arm off!" bellowed Kiba fearfully, as he felt his stomach churn from the gruesome sight before him. Sasuke said nothing, and could only stand there, trembling, his eyes stretched wide open in terror.

Sakura continued to scream for a few seconds, before slumping forward, unconscious. Naruto let her fall to the ground, and threw her dismembered, bloody arm to the floor, the red liquid flowing onto the grass.

'Oh my god... he's coming for me next,' was the young Uchiha's only thought as he stared at the Jinchuriki, unable to move.

'I can't die yet! I need to avenge my clan! I need to kill Itachi! I can't die yet! Not now!' he screamed in his head.

Naruto's hateful glare finally turned to Sasuke, and the only survivor of the great Uchiha clan felt a warm liquid run down his leg. He had wet his pants.

_Shit_.

* * *

Ooh! What will happen next...? Oh, and by the way, if you have any suggestions, thoughts, or criticism, please review. I love 'dem reviews.


	5. No Control

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Please excuse this chapter, as I let my imagination run away a bit, and towards the end I was just like "Blegh," So, yeah, please, don't stop reading because of all the bad stuff. I promise, it'll all get better soon!

**READ THE DISHCLAIMEH: I don't own Naruto, y'know.**

* * *

He had not been able to control himself.

Naruto let another sob of despair, as he saw his own vicious fangs sink into Kiba's skull, quickly silencing the screams of pain and fear. Warm blood gushed down his own throat, making him gag. He threw aside the mangled body of the young Inuzuka, and he let out a deep, rumbling sigh of satisfaction that he knew was not his own.

He turned around, eyes scanning the remains of the battlefield, taking a quick moment to observe the remains of Sasuke and Akamaru. He had made short work of the dog, a quick squeeze of his strong hands and the Kiba's partner's neck was broken. His crying had started at that point, as a young, tiny creature had been brutally murdered by his own hand.

He had not been able to control himself.

Sasuke had been first, however... Naruto had been forced to watch as two wickedly sharp claws had been thrust into the Uchiha's eye sockets, destroying the clans beloved Kekkei Genkai, and snuffing out Sasuke's light.

It had terrified Naruto when he had first turned to face the Uchiha, as he could see, for the first time, real fear in his eyes, and he could smell the urine puddling around his left shoe. It had truly terrified Naruto at the thought that the most calm, and fearless person he had known had pissed himself at the sight of Uzumaki's monstrous form.

He had not been able to control himself.

Kiba would have gone down easily enough, had Naruto not decided to play with him a little. The usually brash and confident Inuzuka had been reduced to a shivering wreck as his best friend had been killed. He could only call for Akamaru over and over, not even looking up as the blood-thirsty Jinchuriki had slowly made his way over. Kiba barely even reacted as Naruto threw him around like a rag-doll, slamming him into rocks, breaking bone and tearing flesh.

But he had finally started as the Uzumaki had gone in for the kill, taking the mutt-boy's head in his hands, and biting deeply into it, feeling the warm bits of brain against his pointed canines.

However he could only manage out a single scream of "_Mommy!_" before Naruto had wrenched his head to the side, spilling the contents of Kiba's skull onto the already bloody grass.

**HE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL HIMSELF.**

As Naruto had viciously destroyed some of those people who he had thought friends, he had not been in control. He had been watching it all from the back of his mind. He had been tearing them apart, but it was not him. It was him, but it was not him. It was as if his rage that he had felt at Sakura had released something, and that something had killed all of them.

His eyes briefly examined the body of Sakura. She must have bled to death a while ago, judging from the copious amount of blood around her.

Naruto took little comfort in the fact that she had been unconscious as death took her, for the last thing she had seen was Naruto's warped, twisted grin as he had ripped her arm off. Naruto let out another sob of despair.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

* * *

Said boy whipped around, and was horrified to see Hinata standing by the edge of the forest where he had first lost control, taking in the gory scene before her. She looked at Sasuke's eyeless, bloodied face. She looked at Kiba's mangled head. She looked at Akamaru's oddly twisted head. She looked at Sakura's lifeless form.

And then she looked at Naruto.

He had half expected the Hyuuga girl to scream. He had expected her to cry. To run.

But he had not expected such a foul sneer to appear on her gentle face. She crossed her arms, and her usually affectionate eyes were burning with hatred.

"You're a monster, Naruto." she proclaimed, her voice spiteful and harsh. She pointed at him, baring her teeth in a foul grin. Naruto froze, startled and confused.

"You're a _MONSTER_, Naruto. You killed your friends, Naruto." she spat, her sneer turning into an evil snarl.  
Naruto began to shake his head, fresh tears cascading down his cheeks. "No." he whispered, his voice thick with sorrow and anger.

"_YOU_ killed them, Naruto! You _are_ the Kyuubi, Naruto! An evil monster!" she shrieked, her raven hair flailing around wildly.

"**NO!**" he roared, feeling his rage once again take him over, and launched himself towards her, bloody fangs bared and his claws outstretched, itching to wrap around her throat.

Naruto quickly close the gap, his pointed nails ripping into the soft earth beneath him and he propelled himself towards her. Within a few seconds, he was so close he could see the wretched sneer on her face, his hands so close to her neck he could feel the veins pulsing, when he suddenly froze in his tracks.

* * *

The Jinchuriki felt a strange pulse in his chakra, and his surroundings, the blood-splattered rocks, the corpses, and even Hinata's hateful expression before him gave a strange shimmer.

Naruto turned his head rapidly, observing the strange, pulsing of his environment. He began to feel weak, and his eyelids became heavy, and began to close.

He tried to fight it, fear gripping him as he tried to imagine what would happen if he fell unconscious. But the feeling was too much, and he fell to the ground, the world warping and twisting around him, and he closed his eyes.

* * *

The feeling of slowly slipping consciousness quickly fell away after a few seconds, and Naruto opened his eyes. The horrible leering face of Hinata was gone, and he was now looking up into the deep blue sky, white fluffy clouds drifting across it.

The dark sensation that he had felt before was now gone, and he was back in control of his own body. As if to prove a point, he lifted up his right hand, which was now no longer covered in blood, and wiggled his fingers.

"What the hell happened?" he asked himself, feeling extremely confused, letting his hand drop back by his side.

"You were in a Genjutsu, Naruto-kun..." came the timid, anxious reply.

* * *

See? Relaaaaax! I wouldn't kill off all of the characters like that! The next chapter will explain the whole Genjutsu stuff, but for now I would like to apologize again. The ending kinda sucked. In fact, the whole chapter sorta' sucked. Lotsa' exams, y'know? But keep with me, I promise we'll be back to happy Naruto stuff again soon! Thanks for reading, leave a review if you have the time! ^_^

**Oh, and in regards to the pairings you wanna see, lemme know in a review. ;3**


	6. Failure

Yo. Sorry this took so long, I've been rather busy, what with school and such. Also, I promise I'll get to the action soon. I'm just gonna spend another chapter or two establishing relationships. For example, Sasuke will NOT be a douche-bag. Also, with the pairings, NaruxHina is the main... and I'll see what I can do about ShinoxIno. Gotta make it a little believable, hmmm? BELIEVE IT!

**READ THE DISHCLAIMEH: I do not own Naruto, ya' fools, YA' FOOLS!**

* * *

Despite the caring concern in the voice, Naruto sat up quickly, pulling a kunai from its pouch, spinning his head around to find the source.

He turned to see Hinata, standing almost a metre from him. She was clutching at the bottom of her coat, and Naruto could see she was breathing heavily. A wave of relief washed over him as he saw that her previous hateful expression was now replaced with a slightly surprised, anxious look, her soft, lilac eyes opened wide.

However, Naruto did not withdraw the kunai, and slowly stood up, feeling his legs tremble slightly, and watched her carefully.

"What's going on?" he asked her loudly, his voice shaking a bit, oblivious to what she had just said.

The young Hyuuga visibly flinched at his tone, and took a small step back. She averted her eyes from him, instead focusing on a spot near his left foot, and started to fiddle with her fingers nervously.

"Y-you were put in a Genjutsu, Naruto-kun," she repeated, a little more high-pitched now.

The jinchuriki licked his lips, his body slackening a little, but still remaining in his alert pose, feeling even more befuddled.

"A... Genjutsu?" he asked, struggling to speak in his confusion.

"Yes... a-a type of jutsu that affects the chakra f-flow in the brain..." she explained, trying to force her voice to become calmer.

Naruto nodded slowly, and placed his kunai back into its pouch. However, his wary expression did not weaken for a second, and Hinata blushed, feeling rather unnerved as she realized that the young shinobi was observing her closely.

"Did you do it?" he asked after a few seconds, his body tensing again. He narrowed his eyes slightly, but Hinata gasped, and shook her head fiercely.

"N-no, Naruto-kun! I-I would never...!" she yelped, startling Naruto a little, but her voice faltered quickly, leaving her to stare at the ground.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan! I know you wouldn't! I'm just a little confused... who would do such a thing?" he wondered out-loud, now looking regretful for his hasty accusation, yet still perplexed.

"That would be me, Naruto,"

* * *

Both younger Ninja whipped their heads around, only to both gasp in shock at the person who had spoken, who stood no more than a few feet away, watching them with a look of amusement.

"Kurenai-sensei!?" the teens exclaimed in disbelief, Naruto's jaw dropping comically, while Hinata didn't even bother to hide her surprise.

The black-haired Kunoichi slowly walked up to them, chuckling lightly.

"Yes, it was me. I cast the Genjutsu over the pair of you," she explained softly, crossing her arms over her stomach, a gentle smile forming on her pretty face.

Neither younger ninja returned the smile.

"But, why!?" Naruto asked incredulously, seemingly infuriated by her casual approach. He furrowed his brow, glaring at her, while Hinata stood beside him, trying to force herself to remain calm.

"Well, as you're going to be my students, I thought it best to test you. Kakashi has his bell-test, and I have this. I was testing your ability to recognize and escape from a Genjutsu... which Hinata seems to have done well," she explained, giving Hinata an encouraging smile, making the young kunoichi blush slightly.

"However, it seems that Naruto failed to do either... and Shino's bugs helped him, instead," she said, her voice becoming sterner as she looked at Naruto, her eyebrow raised.

As if on cue, Naruto felt a slight wiggle beneath his collar, and a few insects flew out from his orange jump-suit. The young Jinchuriki watched as they flew off, somewhat sluggishly, into the air, and out of sight. He reached back, placing his hand onto his neck, and felt what seemed to be insect bites under his fingers. 'Thanks, Shino...' he thought, half-thankful that he had escaped from the Genjutsu, but half-irritated that he did not do it himself.

"So, what does that mean?" Naruto asked, his voice slightly fearful, glancing at Hinata for reassurance. She could provide none, however, as her face mirrored his anxiety.

Kurenai sighed, her stern expression slipping, and Naruto recognized the regret in her eyes.

"Unfortunately, it means you all failed. I'm sending you back to the Academy..." she said solemnly, and as soon as she had spoken, she wished she hadn't. The look of disappointment on the young ninja's faces was... heart-wrenching.

Hinata simply stood, rigid, her face passive. Well, as passive as possible. Her bottom lip trembled slightly, and her pale eyes were wet. 'What will Father think...? What will Naruto think...? I've been sent back to the Academy... I'm a failure...' came her awful thoughts, and Hinata felt herself struggle to keep back her tears.

Kurenai felt her heart twinge with guilt at the young Hyuuga's expression. 'It's a team test... if one fails, they all fail' she thought, attempting to reassure herself. She then turned slightly, to look at Naruto. She was expecting some angry outburst of protests, but was instead shocked to see him glaring at her, his eyes full of fury. The intensity of the stare sent a tingle up her spine.

"You can send me back... but don't you dare think you can do this to Hinata-chan!" he shouted, his voice shaking. His hands were clenched into fists, and his teeth were bared in a fierce snarl. Hinata's eyes widened considerably as she turned to stare at him, a small gasp escaping her lips.

Kurenai's brow furrowed. She had expected some form of disagreement... but she certainly had not expected this. She uncrossed her arms, and brought her hand up to scratch her chin thoughtfully.

"I'm the one that failed, not Hinata-chan, or Shino-kun! You can't punish them like this because of MY mistakes!" he continued, waving his arms wildly in frustration. Hinata continued to watch him, shocked, before she came to her senses.

"No, Naruto-kun! What about your dream... to become the next Hokage?" protested the young Hyuuga, clasping her hands together, her shyness apparently forgotten. Naruto whipped his entire body around, his yellow, spiky hair flailing wildly.

"Hinata-chan... What kind of Hokage would allow his team-mates to be dragged down by him? There's no way I can become Hokage, if I can't even make Genin!" he exclaimed, his eyes burning with a passionate flare.

Unfortunately, Naruto had been staring into Hinata's eyes through his little speech, and she now felt as if she was on the brink of fainting.

Even Kurenai now stood, shocked. She certainly hadn't expected such a loud, brash, little kid to act so selflessly, for the good of two people he barely knew.

The kunoichi glanced over at the young Hyuuga girl. She was simply standing there, gaping at Naruto, her face a deep red, and her eyes shining with admiration.

'Well, it's not hard to see that she likes him... well, better him, than that kid Sasuke that the girls obsess over...' she thought, chuckling lightly.

* * *

Elsewhere, Team7 were certainly not having such an inspirational little moment.

Sakura was tied to a large, wooden post, a sour look on her dirty face, while Sasuke and Kiba sat either side of her, untied, leaning against the other two posts.

Kiba was growling at his two team-mates, his sharp teeth bared in annoyance, while Akamaru whined unhappily. The young Inuzuka was caked in dirt and blood, and his coat was torn in several places. In his lap lay a bento, which he munched furiously, occasionally giving a bit of food to Akamaru.

Sasuke was facing away from the other two, ignoring Kiba's growls, and Sakura's attempt to get his attention. While he was pretty filthy too, he wasn't as torn up as his dog-boy comrade. He was also eating, though with a little less gusto.

Sakura, however, had nothing to eat.

"Sasuke-kun... please... I'm so hungry!" she simpered, trying to cover her desperation with a sickly pout.

"No. You heard what Kakashi-sensei said. You're not allowed to eat," he replied, a small smirk appearing on his face.

Sakura bowed her head in defeat.

"You're right, Sasuke-kun,"

Kiba's snarl wavered for a moment, and he started to feel a little sorry for the pinkette.

"Hey, mutt-boy, give me some of your food!"

Kiba's sympathy quickly died.

"_Fuck off,_" he replied, glaring at her. Akamaru barked in agreement.

Sakura glared right back, before her stomach gave a loud growl. She huffed loudly.

"Where the hell is Kakashi-sensei?" she muttered.

As if on cue, a puff of smoke appeared in front of them with a loud POOF, and when it cleared; there was Kakashi, looking down at them all, cheerfully.

"Oh, you didn't give any food to Sakura!" he said perkily, his one, visible eye smiling.

Kiba bared his teeth in a feral grin, Sasuke nodded slightly, and Sakura sigh.

"Well... I guess that means you all _FAIL_!" he proclaimed, his eye-smile remaining.

"**WHAT**!?"

* * *

Mhm, yeah, I know. But trust me, it'll get better. I promise.

Anyway, please R&R, if you would. It makes my day. DATTEBAYO, and stuff.


	7. Team 7 Troubles!

Yo, my fellow readers of stuff. Good to see you! Are you well? I hope you're well! Here's the next chapter. It's focused on Team 7's failure entirely, and, well, I wouldn't say it's TERRIBLE. Could be worse. But it's not great. I will get to the action soon. I'm just setting up stuff. ALSO, Team 10 chapter, hopefully coming soon! ^.^

**READ TEH DISHCLAIMEH: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. IF I DID, THAT'D BE SLAVERY, AND SLAVERY IS BAD, M'KAY?**

* * *

"You all fail, my cute little not-students!" Kakashi chirped cheerfully.

All three soon-not-to-be ninjas stared at their not-sensei in disbelief. Kiba's mouth flapped open and shut repeatedly, yet no sound came, as his face got steadily redder. Sakura's eyes were stretched wide open, and she was grinding her teeth together. However, she took no further action, and instead watched Sasuke for his reaction.

If Sasuke got angry, she would pummel Kakashi. Ropes or no ropes, she'd escape, and rip out his stupid gravity-defying hair, pull off his mask, and pull out his mysterious other eye.

Sasuke, however, barely moved, his smug smirk frozen on his face.

"Why?" came Kiba's strangled voice.

"Because, it takes more than a head-band, and some flashy ninja moves, and a name-tag that says: 'Hello, I am a ninja', to become a ninja, Kiba-kun!" the Scare-crow Sensei replied, his ever creepy eye-smile still present.

"What?" Kiba asked, his voice now louder, clearer, and angrier.

"Well, those who dis-obey the rules of the Shinobi are scum, right? Well, those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum," Kakashi explained. Sakura noticed his voice, while still keeping a cheerful tone, had become a lot more hollow... almost cold.

Sasuke's face slipped into an expression of confusion, whilst Kiba did one of those little anime gasps that sound like someone just yanked on his weenie. Sakura bowed her head slightly, in shame.

"Explain," ordered the young Uchiha, finally deciding to get involved.

Kakashi sighed.

* * *

"Sasuke, as soon as I said 'Go', you sprinted off into the trees alone, totally disregarding your team-mates," he said, now looking at Sasuke with slight exasperation.

"I don't need them. They'd only get in my way..." muttered Sasuke, trying to avoid looking at the Jonin or his fellow Genin. However, he couldn't help but glance over at them, and his stomach squirmed slightly at the hurt look on Sakura's face, and the look of angry shock on Kiba's.

"Sasuke, one day you might be on a particularly dangerous mission. You might get cornered. You might need help. That's what comrades are for. That's why we make these four man teams," Kakashi said, gesturing to young ninja with his hand.

"Hgn," Sasuke replied, once again falling silent.

* * *

"Well, what about me, Kakashi-not-sensei?" piped up Sakura, still glancing reproachfully at the Uchiha.

"Apart your below-average skills, your fan-girlish tendencies, and refusal to work with Kiba for the simple fact that he dislikes Sasuke... nothing much," said Kakashi, raising his visible eye-brow.

"What do you mean 'below average skills? I got 100% on ALL of the tests, and my chakra-control is perfect!" protested Sakura, flushing deep red.

"You may have done well on the practices, Sakura, but you have almost no ability outside of a controlled testing environment. If your performance in this exercise is anything to go on, I'd say you'd barely survive a week outside of the walls of the Konohagakure. Your TaiJutsu is really quite bad... I'm surprised you manage to punch Naruto with any effect at ALL... and I've barely seen you use any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu outside of a simple Bunshin," Kakashi explained, frowning slightly.

Sakura bowed her head in shame, as she attempted to hold back tears.

"And the worst thing? You're very intelligent, Sakura. These are all things we could have worked on as a team. It's simply the fact that you refuse to work with Kiba that I failed you," Kakashi said, a hint of regret and disappointment in his voice. Sakura closed her eyes, and remained silent, hoping her hanging hair would cover her wobbling bottom lip from Sasuke.

It didn't.

* * *

"And me, Kakashi-not-sensei?" asked Kiba, his anger replaced by an expression of sheer puzzlement. Akamaru bobbed his head slightly from atop Kiba's hood, whining quietly.

Kakashi turned his head to face Kiba, observing the young boy with his visible eye.

"Well, Kiba... to be honest, I believe that you are the one least deserving of failure here," the Jonin sighed, scratching the back of his head.  
Kiba frowned in confusion, but said nothing, prompting Kakashi to continue.

"While you seemed reluctant to work alongside Sakura at first, you grudgingly released the Genjutsu I had placed upon her. Your skills are limited to your clan techniques, but you use them well..." he droned. "You even tolerated emo-boy over there..."

Kiba smirked, despite the situation, while Sasuke had to practice great self-control not to roast them both with a fire-ball.

"I'm aware that the lack of appreciation is what drove you to not share your food with Sakura, whilst Sasuke's was just sheer smugness,"

A vein popped up on the young Uchiha's forehead, a deep fury bubbling in his gut. But, underneath, he felt something else... was it... regret?

Regret that he had not given any food to Sakura?

But was it simply because he failed the test, or did he really regret acting unnecessarily cruel towards his would-be team-mate? He made a small mental note to apologize later.

Well, he would apologize as much as his pride would allow him.

"In that case, I will see what I can do to have you placed on another team. There might be an open spot, if you're lucky," proclaimed Kakashi, giving Kiba an encouraging eye-smile.

Kiba grinned back, pleased, while Akamaru yipped happily. However, he then turned to Sakura and Sasuke, and his grin dropped.

"I'm sorry, you guys. I wish we could've gotten along better. Me might've made a great team," he mumbled, his voice low and apologetic.

Sakura swallowed back the lump in her throat, lifted her head up, and gave him a small smile.

"Good luck, Kiba-kun," she said, with a genuine sincerity, her eyes still a little wet.

"Hgn," Sasuke grunted in agreement.

Kiba smiled, a gentle, warm smile. 'Shit, maybe they're not _total_ ass-holes after all. Shame,' he thought, slightly amused.

Kakashi reached into the front pocket of his flak-jacket, pulled out Icha-Icha Paradise, and pretended to read.

'A real shame' he thought, outwardly sighing, softly.

* * *

See, I told you Sakura wasn't gonna be a TOTAL bitch. But she will be a bitch again soon. Only to Naruto, though. And I'll straighten her out. And, yes, there's gonna be a sort-of nice Sasuke! 'Cuz, I wanna write about a Sasuke I don't completely hate! Yay!

Also, if you got the little references, good on you. I will send you one cookie. 3

ALSO, if you want a chapter on Kakashi's test, tell me in the reviews, or in a message. I wasn't gonna make one, but I will if you guys want it. ;D


	8. Silver Lining

Herro, prease. Now that I'm free, I can start updating more often. If you want me to, that is.

**READ THE DISHCLAIMEH: I DON'T OWN NARUTO, BUT I DO OWN A HAMSTER, AND HIS NAME IS NIKOLAI.**

* * *

"Well... alright, Naruto," said Kurenai, finally.

Naruto dragged his eyes from Hinata's, who continued to stare at him admiringly, and rested them on the Jonin's face. He cocked his head questioningly.

"I'll see what I can do. I'm still going to send you back to the academy, but perhaps I can find a replacement for the team. I suppose it would be unfair to fail Shino and Hinata for your mistake," she said, averting her eyes to gaze into the clear, blue sky.

Naruto grimaced at her wording, but plastered a huge grin across his face, and turned to Hinata, who was now twiddling her fingers, somewhat guiltily. However, at his smile, her cheeks flushed a deep red, and she sank back into her coat a few inches.

Kurenai glanced at the pair of them, smiling sadly, half-amused, and half-pitying.

"I guess I'd better be off then. I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I hope you make it next year. I want to be the first to know when you do," she said, nodding to him.

"You bet I'm gonna make it next year! I'm gonna be Hokage someday!" he replied, sticking his hands behind his head, closing his eyes and stretching his fake grin even wider.

Kurenai shook her head affectionately, chuckling.

"I hope to see you soon, Hinata," she said warmly.

There was a sudden gust of wind, pink petals swirled around Kurenai, and when the breeze died, and the petals settled, she was gone.

* * *

"Well, Hinata-chan, looks like ya' got another chance! I'm really happy for you!" he exclaimed, his voice a little strained from the effort of trying to keep it cheerful. He was genuinely pleased that she might get a chance to become a ninja, and wished her all the best, but there was a small part of him that ached in bitter jealousy.

Hinata, however, didn't seem to notice, and attempted to smile back, but her bottom-lip trembled slightly. She bowed her head, so her bangs hid her eyes, and swallowed.

"B-But, Naruto-kun... I-If anyone de-deserves to b-become a ninja, it's y-you! Y-you worked so har-" she mumbled, trying to force the words out, but her voice squeaked and died mid-sentence. She licked her lips, and tried to speak again.

However, before she could, a hand clapped gently on her shoulder, and her tongue froze in place, her eyes widening considerably. She lifted her head slightly, and felt her legs buckle at what she saw.

Naruto stood before her, his hand gripping her shoulder, his deep, cerulean eyes gazing into her pale, pupil-less ones. His trade-mark grin lit up his face, this one genuine, and it made the young Hyuuga swoon. The gentle afternoon breeze ruffled his messy, blonde hair.

"Hinata, I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for people like you," he declared, somewhat sheepishly.

THUMP.

"What the- HINATA?!"

"SHIT, I KILLED HER AGAIN!"

* * *

Shino stood, still atop the Hokage monument, waiting patiently for his insects to return.

He had sensed that the kikaichū had managed to temporarily disrupt Naruto's chakra, to break the genjutsu placed over him.

With some difficulty, apparently.

However, it seemed that it was not just his strong chakra flow that had been to problem in disrupting Naruto's chakra.

Shino could now see his bugs, buzzing in a small swarm over the top of the Fourth Hokage's stone head. He frowned, noticing their odd, sluggish movements, and stretched his arm out, allowing the kikaichū to fly down his sleeve, into a small hole situated by his elbow, and into his body.

Before they had been planted on Naruto, he had ordered his bugs to collect a small sample of the orange ninja's chakra, should he ever need to identify his chakra in the future using his insects.

He now felt them wriggling under his skin, rather slowly, and up his arm to the nearest chakra point. He signalled for them to release the chakra into his own stream.

An air-shattering yelp of pain escaped Shino's throat, and he collapsed to his knees, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.

"What... kind of chakra... is this...?" he hissed through his teeth, as a piercing agony erupted all over his arm. He desperately urged his insects to draw the chakra back out.

The same insects who had deposited the chakra sucked it back out, and crawled out from his coat, attempted to fly, and subsequently dropped to the floor.

Shino lay there on the ground, panting heavily.

Strangely, he still sensed foreign chakra within his body, and realized this must be Naruto's chakra. But if so, what was the chakra he had felt before, that had felt so... evil? The chakra he felt now was powerful, but certainly not as horrible as the chakra that had caused him such agony.

Shino slowly rolled his head to search for his insects, and quickly spotted them, lying a few inches away from his right arm.

He sat up, still breathing heavily, and leaned over to inspect them.

The kikaichū seemed to be in major discomfort, as they were flailing their small legs around wildly, rocking back and forth across the dirt.

Shino shifted his sunglasses slightly, and upon closer inspection, saw that the insects seemed to glow a slight red. One or two of them were now still, dead, and small amounts of chakra leaked from their skin, and disappeared into the air above them.

'What kind of chakra _is_ this?' Shino repeated, bewildered, amazed, and frightened.

* * *

OOOH, YEH, SHIT JUST GOT REAL!

By the way, the last little bit is all made up. I don't know if Shino can really do that, or if the Kyuubi's chakra would cause him pain, or something. But, yeah, stuff. Thanks for reading. And, please, R&R! :D


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